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Albinism is not common in horses. In fact, there has never been a documented case of a true albino horse.
There are two basic horse colors:
1. Black
2. Red (called Chestnut or Sorrel)
Black + the Agouti modifying gene= Bay
The agouti (bay gene) is a modifier that only affects black horses and restricts the black to the points (legs, mane, tail).
When you add 1 dilute to the basic colors:
1. Smoky black
2. Palomino
3. Buckskin (Bay + 1 dilute)
When you add 2 dilutes (double dilute) to the basic colors: (see *note* at bottom)
1. Smoky cream
2. Cremello
3. Perlino (Bay + 2 dilutes)
When you add dun factor to the basic colors (one parent must be a dun/red dun/grulla):
1. Grulla (black/silver/gray coloring with dorsal, leg barring, stripes)
2. Red dun (pink/orange coloring with dorsal, leg barring, stripes)
3. Dun (regular tan coloring with dorsal, leg barring, stripes)
When you add 1 dilute + dun factor (one parent must be a dun/red dun/grulla):
1. Dunskin (all of the same characteristics of a dun, only lighter. Sometimes the dilute will go undetected unless tested or the animal produces or sires a dilute or double dilute)
2. Dunalino (all of the same characteristics of a red dun, only lighter & usually has a light or white mane and tail)
3. Smoky dun (sometimes the dilute will go undetected unless tested or until the animal produces or sires a dilute or double dilute)
When you add 2 dilutes (double dilute) + dun factor (one parent must be a dun/red dun/grulla):
1. Perlinoskin (will have most of the same characteristics of a dun, but very light)
2. Duncream (will have most of the same characteristics of a red dun, but very light)
3. Smoky cream dun (will have most of the same characteristics of a grulla, but very light)
Now there are 3 more genes that have been detected that will also augment the color in various ways that are still being studied:
1. The champagne gene: The champagne gene is a dominant dilution gene. It is distinctly separate from the cream gene (palomino, buckskin, etc.) and the dun gene (grullo, dun, etc.) When a dun horse also happens to have a Champagne gene, the colors are called Gold Dun (on chestnut), Amber Dun (on bay), Classic Dun (on black). Typically these horses look like lighter versions of the champagne color they would have been without the dun.
2. The pearl gene: The Pearl gene is an INCOMPLETELY RECESSIVE, cream-activated, dilution gene. Incompletely Recessive means that one copy of the gene in a horse has minimal expression (is almost invisible), and two copies (homozygosity) results in full expression (dilutes the base color once).
3. The brindle gene: The gene for brindling in equine has not yet been isolated. Since so little information is available on the Brindle pattern in horses, we are not sure if they are from the same gene or not. There could be several genes involved, producing similar patterns.
*Note*: double dilute horses can only sire or produce single dilute colored horses when bred to a black, red, or bay colored horse (see above). Depending on the parentage, the outcome could have dun factor (see adding 1 dilute to dun above). When bred to a single dilute colored horse, the double dilute can sire or produce a single dilute (smoky black, palomino, or buckskin), or a double dilute (smoky cream, cremello, or perlino).
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